Car tyres 175/65R14 review

01
.Introduction

If you have a car, chances are you need to buy new tyres every few years. You may not want to stick with the same model your car came with, but which of the many tyre alternatives should you choose? Depending on the size you need manufacturers may have several different models. They're all round and black, so it's basically impossible to predict how well they'll do their job by just looking at them. Our test aims to give you that essential information.

In this test, we looked at:

18 models of size 175/65R14, costing between $66 to $149 per tyre.

This size is suitable for at least some versions of popular small cars such as the Mazda 2, Holden Barina and Honda Jazz.

For more on a range of car-related subjects, including more information on tyres, see Cars.

Video: Tyre test footage

Some of the ways we test the safety, stopping power and road-holding of car tyres.

Brands and models tested

Achilles 122 Ecotech

Bridgestone Ecopia EP100

Continental ContiPremiumContact 2 E

Dunlop Sp Sport 300E

Falken Ziex ZE 912

Firestone TZ700

GoodYear Assurance TripleMax

GT Radial Champiro Eco

Hankook Optimo K415

Hifly HF201

Kumho Ecowing ES01 KH27

Maxxis MA-P1

Michelin Energy XM2

Ovation Eco Vision VI-682

Pirelli Cinturato P1

Supercat DT58703-1

Toyo NanoEnergy 3

Yokohama BluEarth AE01

Tyre pressure

An accurate tyre pressure gauge helps you maintain the optimal tyre pressure for your car. Proper inflation gives you longer tyre life and better safety. Both over- and under-inflating your tyres will wear them out sooner. Driving with under-inflated tyres also uses more petrol, adversely affects your car's handling and may even lead to tyre damage, so check the pressure regularly – for example, every time you fill up with fuel. Don't forget to check your spare tyre too – there's nothing worse than getting a flat tyre and finding the spare has no air either.

How we test

Cornering Our testers, Peter Horvath and Graham Byrne, assess how well the tyres keep the test car in a set lane at speeds of 80km/h and 85km/h in dry conditions, and 75km/h and 80km/h in wet conditions, using a right-hand corner with about a 55m radius. The tyres are tested twice in differing orders. Note: The cornering tests are performed under controlled conditions by a trained driver, with the traction control system (TCS) disabled. CHOICE does not recommend disabling the TCS under any circumstances.

Braking Using a GPS system, our testers measure the distance it takes to come to a complete standstill in emergency braking tests from driving speeds of 50km/h and 80km/h in both dry and wet conditions.

Rolling noise Using a GPS system, our testers measure the distance it takes to roll to a stop from a starting speed of 25km/h. This is completed five times, and the shortest and longest measured distances are discarded. The three remaining measured distances are then averaged.